Léon Bonvin
It's time for some veggies!
Around 1863, Léon Bonvin, a French watercolor artist known for genre painting, started creating delightful still-life paintings that casually and invitingly showcased everyday items like flowers, vegetables, and kitchen tools. Picture this: on a table, partly draped with a crisp white cloth, he arranged a charming scene with three plump celery heads, sprigs of parsley, several plump garlic bulbs, and an array of kitchen essentials. These included a sharp knife, an elegant cruet set, a sturdy pestle and mortar, and a beautifully crafted faience bowl.
Interestingly, this arrangement, the way the knife playfully extends over the edge of the table and the cloth's neatly defined folds, was something Léon shared in his art with his older half-brother François. It was also a style quite popular in the mid-1860s, notably in the works of the famous Manet. Their style harks back to the heartwarming tradition of still-life paintings by Chardin and even further back to the classic Dutch masters of the 17th century.
His focus on simple, humble subjects made Bonvin's work stand out. There's a charming story about him: the artist often had to paint at night and would use a lamp tucked inside a box with a tiny opening as his light source. This quirky method sometimes gave his greens a slightly acidic tint, adding a unique touch to his work. In his drawings, Bonvin's love for detail shines through, especially in the intricate way he captured the complex texture of celery roots. His technique often involved outlining in ink first, followed by applying soft colored washes to bring the scene to life.
If you love still lifes, please check our lovely Food & Drinks 50 Postcards Set. :)
P.S. Celery, parsley, garlic... these vegetables are not immediately associated with painting. Neither is asparagus. A number of artist immortalized it on their canvases, however, including Monet! Discover asparagus in art!